Antibiotic Detection and Inhibition Assay using Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging: Preliminary Study for Food Analysis

Chloramphenicol (CAP) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic (MW 323.13 Da) that has been used in veterinary practice. However, two types of toxicity in humans induced by this small molecule have been identified. Due to these side-effects, CAP was banned from use in food-producing animals within the European community and other countries (USA and Canada, amongst others). Biosensors are a good solution for the development of rapid and low-cost screening assays in the Agri-food sector. This application note shows that SPRi (Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging) is suitable for the development of inhibition assays for the detection of small molecules.